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Striving to End Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting

The U.S. government is committed to preventing and responding to all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) globally, including female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), which violates girls’ and women’s basic human rights.

In the last two decades, progress has been made in the elimination of female genital mutilation or cutting. A girl is one third less likely to undergo female genital mutilation or cutting compared to 30 years ago. Two thirds of the population in practicing countries in Africa and the Middle East are opposed to female genital mutilation or cutting. Yet, despite global efforts, more than 230 million girls and women have experienced female genital mutilation or cutting and over four million girls are at risk of undergoing the practice annually. This is due to community pressure to continue practicing female genital mutilation or cutting as a way to ensure girls’ social inclusion and increase their marriageability.

Girls subjected to it are at increased risk of child marriage1, dropping out of school2, and living in poverty3, threatening their ability to build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

What is Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting?

Female genital mutilation or cutting is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” USAID includes the term “cutting” as a way to avoid backlash from communities in response to terms like mutilation. Female genital mutilation or cutting is a form of gender-based violence and discrimination against girls and women, that reflects deep-rooted gender inequality.

The practice has no health benefits and threatens the health and well-being of girls and women. Female genital mutilation or cutting can lead to immediate health risks such as hemorrhage, shock, serious injury, a range of infections – and even death. Girls and women who are cut may experience life-long serious physical complications including severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. Female genital mutilation or cutting is also associated with a range of mental health issues including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. The reasons behind female genital mutilation or cutting are different depending on the country. The age of cutting also varies although most girls are subjected to the practice between infancy and age of 15. In some communities it is considered a rite of passage into womanhood or a way to ensure a girl’s virginity before marriage and suppress her sexual desires. There are people who mistakenly believe it is a religious requirement. Many families are convinced that female genital mutilation or cutting enhances girls’ marriage prospects and promises a better future for them.

USAID’s Approach

USAID addresses gender-based violence in more than 40 countries worldwide and provided services to an average of 6.5 million survivors of gender-based violence per year in between 2019 and 2024. Preventing and addressing female genital mutilation or cutting is an important component of our efforts which are linked to broader development goals, like economic growth, educational attainment, political representation, improved health outcomes, and gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment.

As part of USAID’s implementation of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally and the USAID 2023 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, we prioritize the delivery of evidence-based interventions to end female genital mutilation or cutting. We provide health and child welfare services, support access to education and economic opportunities, increase meaningful civil participation, and improve the value of girls in society so they can achieve their full potential.

Working across sectors including health, education, economic growth, and democracy, human rights and governance, USAID is committed to working in countries and regions where girls and women are most at risk of and affected by female genital mutilation or cutting. This may include addressing the co-occurrence of female genital mutilation or cutting and child marriage. In some contexts, girls often undergo female genital mutilation or cutting as a precursor to child marriage.

Programming Examples

USAID supports the ability of women and girls to make informed decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. We also support civil society organizations globally so that change is led by local women leaders. We promote community-based programming to raise awareness on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation or cutting in regions where the practice is prevalent. USAID also strengthens the capacity of medical and other health providers, local communities, and other relevant stakeholders to identify and care for survivors of female genital mutilation or cutting. For example:

  • In Nigeria, USAID is supporting obstetric fistula prevention and repair, addressing complications that may have arisen from female genital mutilation or cutting. USAID improves access to and quality of voluntary, informed, consented, and safe surgical care with maternal health programs for female genital mutilation or cutting in addition to promoting its prevention through antenatal care by highlighting the health consequences associated with the practice.
  • In Djibouti, USAID is promoting the elimination of gender-based violence in rural areas where female genital mutilation or cutting remains a common practice. USAID is providing catalyst funding and capacity building support to civil society organizations to work closely with local governments, health workers, law enforcement, and religious leaders, to advance community-driven gender-based violence and female genital mutilation or cutting prevention and response.
  • In Mauritania, USAID is preventing female genital mutilation or cutting and child marriage by strengthening the child protection system, improving school retention, supporting legal frameworks that protect against gender-based violence, and delivering vocational training and non-formal education opportunities. Adolescent girls and young women also participate in livelihood and income-generating activities to promote their empowerment and autonomy. This activity facilitates communication campaigns and community-led, intergenerational dialogues that promote gender equality and increase awareness about the consequences of female genital mutilation or cutting and child marriage.
  • In Egypt, USAID partners with the National Committee for the Eradication of FGM that is co-led by the National Council for Women and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood in addition to civil society organizations and community champions to eliminate female genital mutilation or cutting. USAID is strengthening policy and legal frameworks, supporting positive social norm change to end violence against women and girls, and improving support and quality integrated services for survivors of violence. In Upper Egypt, USAID empowers women and promotes the eradication of female genital mutilation or cutting and child marriage by investing in livelihood options for women through workforce empowerment, training in marketable skills, and support for women smallholder farmers. By partnering to advance Egyptian-led initiatives, USAID positions women to be more economically independent and play a greater role in household decision-making.
  • Globally, USAID supports an online FGM/C e-learning course on the Global Health e-Learning Center platform to provide provide learners with an overview of female genital mutilation or cutting and examples of interventions that have worked—as well as those that have not worked—to encourage the abandonment of the practice. The course defines female genital mutilation or cutting, provides global prevalence data, describes socio-economic factors contributing to female genital mutilation or cutting, and identifies successful country-led initiatives and case studies to define the critical programmatic elements that encourage abandonment of female genital mutilation or cutting.

RELATED LINKS

 

 

1 Ahinkorah BO, Hagan JE, Seidu A-A, et al. Association between female genital mutilation and girl-child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Biosocial Science. 2023;55(1):87-98.
2 Njogu, G. N. (2018). Female Genital Mutilation and its Effect in Public Primary Schools Participation by the Girl Child: A Study of Samburu County, Kenya. International Journal of Science and Research, 7(5), 1267–1277; Nyabero, C., Omwenga, E.N. & Okari, F. (2016). Alternative rites of passage potency in enhancing girl child self-esteem and participation in education in primary schools in Kisii County, Kenya. African Journal of Education and Human Development, 2(1): 1-9; Nyagah, S.N. & S.W. Luketero. (2016). Transition rates of girls from lower primary to upper primary, Kajiado county. European Scientific Journal, 12(7): 418-433; Pesambili, J.C. (2013). Consequences of female genital mutilation on girls’ schooling in Tarime, Tanzania: Voices of the uncircumcised girls on the experiences, problems and coping strategies, Journal of education and practice, 4, (16).
3 Ahinkorah, B.O., Hagan, J.E., Ameyaw, E.K. et al. Socio-economic and demographic determinants of female genital mutilation in sub-Saharan Africa: analysis of data from demographic and health surveys. Reprod Health 17, 162 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01015-5; Fagbamigbe AF, Morhason-Bello IO, Kareem YO, Idemudia ES (2021) Hierarchical modelling of factors associated with the practice and perpetuation of female genital mutilation in the next generation of women in Africa. PLoS ONE 16(4): e0250411. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250411